Forever Lost in Literature: april 2023

It's been another weird, busy month. My reading slowed down a bit once again, but I'm really just trying to go with the flow these days. I am also flabbergasted that we are somehow already in May and it's stressing me out because there are things my husband and I planned to do at the beginning of the year that have been continuously delayed and now we are almost into summer (!?) and it's just baffling and I've given up on any semblance of control in my life lately. I don't really have much to share from the month of March, which is honestly probably a good thing, haha, because I don't know if my brain can really handle any more stress or anxiety these days. Books and aerial are the two things keeping me sane these days, and I have to say I am so grateful to have two hobbies that bring me so much joy and comfort. :)

Although I didn't get through as many books as I'd hoped to, I still read some great books in April. I finally managed a re-read of Master of Sorrows, a book I read a number of years ago and loved, as well as caught up with eh sequel, Master Artificer, and both books were fantastic. I am not ready for the third book in this trilogy and cannot wait for it! If you haven't checked out this fantasy series and like something pretty epic in scope, then you should definitely give it a read. I also really liked Justin Lee Anderson's The Lost War and am thrilled to have another new series to get excited about. As always, I've shared what books I read in April and all my blog posts as well below, so feel free to check those out. I didn't get as many reviews up as I'd hoped to, but I still got some reviews up for some pretty exciting releases that I had fun with. I've been behind on everything lately and I'm really trying to catch up.

All that being said––how was your April? What books did you read? Let me know in the comments, and I hope you all have a wonderful May!

# books read: 8

Master of Sorrows (The Silent Gods #1) by Justin Call (re-read)

Source: Library | Format: Audiobook

Thoughts: This was a re-read and it reminded me just how much I loved this book! Definitely a top fantasy series for me.

Master Artificer (The Silent Gods #2) by Justin Call
Source: Library | Format: Audiobook

Thoughts: This is the sequel to Master of Sorrows and wow does it get intense. It's hard to believe sometimes how far this book comes just from the first page to the last page, and it's a journey well worth adventuring on.

The Lost War (The Eidyn Saga #1) by Justin Lee Anderson
Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC

Thoughts: This was such a fun start to a new fantasy! I'll have a review up later in May probably closer to its release, but put it on your TBRs if you're looking for an awesome new fantasy.

Paradise-1 by David Wellington
Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC

Thoughts: This was a crazy action-packed sci-fi horror/thriller that I had a fun time. I always love a good 'virus' in space premise.

The Thick and the Lean by Chana Porter
Source: NetGalley | Format: eARC

Thoughts: I had some mixed feelings about this one. I thought the general premise was really interesting and I definitely have my interest piqued most of the time, but it's that I had to sort of make myself read and I didn't really feel that invested in the story or the characters that much.

In the Lives of Puppets by T.J. Klune
Source: NetGalley | Format: eARC

Thoughts: This was a bit disappointing, if I'm being honest. I already posted a review where I shared my thoughts, but this one just didn't click with me like some of Klune's previous books did.

Small Game by Blair Braverman
Source: Library | Format: Audiobook

Thoughts: This had an awesome premise, but I don't think it had the best execution and it was kinda weird, but it absolutely kept my attention and I had a good time, so.. not bad?

Wildblood by Lauren Blackwood
Source: NetGalley | Format: eARC

Thoughts: This book was all over the place. I loved certain aspects and thought it tackled some pretty intense topics, but it also really struggled with others.

DNF/To-Be-Finished:

Lost Boy by Sassafrass Lowry

I might go back and finish this Peter Pan-inspired story one one day, but not anytime soon. This isn't quite what I expected it to be and the writing was just a little off for me to really be able to get into the story. I felt like there wasn't much explanation or things and it was all supposed to be inferred, which is fine as a general storytelling device, but I'm not sure it was really working in this case.

Untethered Sky by Fonda Lee

The Bone Shard War (The Drowning Empire #3) by Andrea Stewart
Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh
Paradise-1 by David Wellington
In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune

Original Posts:

(other than reviews)

Month in Review: March 2023
Blog Tour + Excerpt: Sisters of the Lost Nation by Nick Medina

Blog Memes:

Top Ten Tuesday:
Self-Published Fantasy

Can't-Wait Wednesday:

4/5: The Lost War by Justin Lee Anderson, Atalanta by Jennifer Saint, & The Book of Stolen Dreams by David Farr
4/12: The Sword Defiant by Gareth Hanrahan, Clytemnestra by Constanza Casati, & All the Dead Lie Down by Kyrie McCauley
4/19: Our Hideous Progeny by C.E. McGill, Witch King by Martha Wells, & Psyche and Eros by Lyna McNamara
4/26: The Ferryman by Justin Cronin, Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea by Rita Chang-Eppig, & Scarlet by Genevieve Cogman

The Friday Face-Off:

Current Read #3
Current Read #4
Current Read #5

It's been a busy year of new releases and April is no exception! There are so many amazing books coming out next month, and I'm sure I've still managed to forget a number of books for this list. I've had the opportunity to read The Bone Shard War, Untethered Sky, and Some Desperate Glory, all of which were great (reviews to come soon!), and I have a couple ARCs of some others that I can't wait to dive into. For the rest, I can only hope I'll manage to get to them in good time, haha, because I seriously can't wait for all of these! What upcoming releases are you most looking forward to reading in April?